Garage/Shop floor Coating

[BSB67]

I'm thinking about having my garage floor coated. Looking at the Epoxy/Polyaspartic combo with 1/8" flake. How do you like it? Any first hand experience/feed back/suggestions would be appreciated. Pictures would be great too.

Thanks

 

[davek]

All I can say is put on plenty of flakes,I have fallen twice because water on the floor.

 

[Ranger16]

+ Easy to clean
- Slick as hell

 

[Jesse6869]

I used Ballistix it’s heat resistant to 1200 degrees, Mildew resistance, it’s UV resistant. 5 year warranty so far so good it looks amazing and cost way less then epoxy. But my floor was just poured just had to clean it really well. Epoxy will come up. This is before and after.

 

[3sloppydogs]

I put Rust o leum garage floor epoxy on my floor when it was new and cured for a little over a month or so.
Never put anything on it so it would be clean. Stuff worked great and put down flakes with it. Easy to clean, no dust,no complaints
You can have it different colors too.

 

[INTMD8]

I did white urethane. It was a lot of work but turned out pretty nice. Easy to find things. I leaf blow/mop it every couple of weeks.

I like the chip look but think it would be a nightmare to find small dropped parts.

 

[snakeoil24]

The epoxy products from big box stores are all junk. Instead buy industrial grade 2 part epoxy after diamond honing floor then 2 coats of Urethane.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Even with the flakes in the epoxy it can still be pretty slick when wet. I have flaked epoxy in my garage and have to warn people even when it sweats to be cautious of slipping.

I plan on putting some type of epoxy on the floor of the shop I built a couple of years ago. I do like the look of a good, clean, solid colored floor. Easier to find things dropped on the floor, spot leaks, and eliminate stains(most of them anyway). If it’s going to be slick when wet with or without flakes, might as well have it look the way I want it to.

And give extra warning to @davek if he decides to stop by.

 

[PlymCrazy]

I did white urethane. It was a lot of work but turned out pretty nice. Easy to find things. I leaf blow/mop it every couple of weeks.

I like the chip look but think it would be a nightmare to find small dropped parts.

View attachment 1370965

That looks absolutely stunning!

 

[69L48Z27]

The Rock Solid big box store stuff is holding up very well for me. Prep, prep, and more prep. When you think you prepped it, do it again.

 

[fesser]

Just had my shop done. I went with the Polyaspartic Polyurea because it is supposed to be tougher than the epoxy. It came out really nice. I am not sure how much the end result differs based on the workers who are applying it, but my floor is less slippery now than the plain concrete was. Definitely has a textured feel to it. The only negative to it so far is that it is too nice. I am going to have to cover it when painting, protect it from certain chemicals, and I will probably put plywood under jackstands and such.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Just had my shop done. I went with the Polyaspartic Polyurea because it is supposed to be tougher than the epoxy. It came out really nice. I am not sure how much the end result differs based on the workers who are applying it, but my floor is less slippery now than the plain concrete was. Definitely has a textured feel to it. The only negative to it so far is that it is too nice. I am going to have to cover it when painting, protect it from certain chemicals, and I will probably put plywood under jackstands and such.
View attachment 1370979

How well do a floor jack or car dollies move around on it?

 

[fesser]

How well do a floor jack or car dollies move around on it?

I don't know. It was only done last week. I probably will wuss out and run the floor jacks over plywood. I am a little worried about the steel wheels biting into the coating. I was actually checking into those airbag jacks as an alternative. I don't have a car dolly yet, but I do need one and will be looking for one with the polyurethane casters.

 

[Sahara]

I do floors semi professionally; I work for the government and do their floors in garages and boiler rooms. I find that prep and priming is more important then the finish coat. Vacuum the concrete until you are tired, then vacuum one more time. The best primer for this by far is from Benjamin Moore. It is a two part epoxy primer that is clear, and thinner then water. It soaks in a long ways, I bet it penetrates an eighth of an inch. Then I apply two coats of two part epoxy paint. It is super slick but I don’t add any grit to it. So far the only thing that has scratched one of my floors is the guys slamming on the brakes and the carbide studded winter tires scratch right into the concrete. Other then that every floor that I have done still looks new, even after five or six years. And these are industrial floors that have fully loaded Ford F-350 vans driving on them every day.

 

[themechanic]

I prefer bare concrete. My garage is for work; it's not a show room.

 

[guy gadbois]

I used a two part epoxy many moons ago; held up pretty well under hobbyist use. Some of the newer stuff is better tho.
That being said, it is slicker than normal when wet, and if you live where its humid, it will 'turn wet' on its own some days... hence, flakes/granules/etc are to berecommended to give some surface irregularity and aid in traction.
Not only does the coated floor look nice, but it makes clean up much easier and doesnt stain easily. A light colour makes the room seem bigger and small parts/hardware that try to escape are usually easier to find also. But remember - prep is king. You cannot over clean...

 

[PlymCrazy]

40+ years of doing car repairs in my garage or my driveway on my back and finally got to a place where I could build my own shop. 36x48x12 w/2-post Rotary. It doubles as a place to work and a bit of a showroom. I like the appeal of easy cleanup of the floor by adding a finish to it such as epoxy. When folks see I care enough to keep things organized, clean and neat they tend to treat the place the same way when they are in there without me even asking. I appreciate the heck out of that.

 

[493 Mike]

This discussion makes my memory kick in. When I was 12, I worked part time for my dad in his garage. One of my chores was to scrape the floor in the heated shop area. It was a BEAR! Oil, grease, and mud was packed down by trucks and school buses for decades. I remember it was about 1/2 to 3/4 inches deep and seemed like concrete. I did finish eventually, got everything shipshape and the garage burned down a year later):
Mike

 

[65hemi]

I used the rustoleum epoxy product. It is not very durable and was very beat up following restoration of my car. The floor jack scratches the floor every time it is moved. Tire marks are left where the car is parked. The product has not lasted very well. I would not recommend the product.

 

[INTMD8]

I prefer bare concrete. My garage is for work; it's not a show room.

Same here. (garage is for work)

Bare concrete in my experience is very dusty unless sealed.

Also much easier to clean up spills.